Enhancing stability and power quality in electric vehicle charging stations powered by hybrid energy sources through harmonic mitigation and load management

Growing integration of renewable energy sources (RESs) into power grids has several advantages, including reduced greenhouse gas emissions and improved energy sustainability. Despite the related benefits, RES integration also poses actual challenges, such as power quality, voltage fluctuation, and reliability concerns. This study conducts a comprehensive performance evaluation of a grid-integrated microgrid consisting of an electric vehicle (EV) charging station, wherein the Volkswagen ID4 Crozz has been adopted as the standard EV model. The microgrid will consist of solar panels, a wind energy conversion system (WECS), and a battery energy storage system (BESS), which will be used for the supply of electricity economically with a reliable power supply. ETAP simulates various operating conditions to analyze their impact on voltage stability and power quality. This study investigates the impact of EV integration on power quality and applies advanced load management strategies, such as partial loading, selective disconnection, and coordinated renewable integration. A scenario-based optimization approach is used to minimize harmonic distortion and improve voltage stability. Among the configurations that were being compared, the 60% load configuration was superior, where the 5th harmonic distortion was 0.42% and the 11th was 0.55%, performing superior to full-load and other disconnection configurations of chargers. The configuration also had superior and stable voltage levels, which bear witness to its effectiveness in enhancing power quality as well as grid stability.